RAIN/Scripture Challenge: Hosea

Bible

“It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring!” 

“Rain, rain, go away–come again another day”

“Raindrops Keep Fallin on My Head”  

“Rainy days and Mondays always get me down” 

The songs and poetry are endless, and so it seems, is the rain.

We know it won’t last forever, but some days (like this one), it seems it will never stop.

And when it does, you have a muddy, sloppy mess on your hands.

Truth is, I think rain gets a bad wrap.  We NEED rain, (maybe not THIS MUCH! 🙂 ), and for me, the soft, soothing sound of rain is perfect nap weather. Think of it as water therapy. Time to recharge and recover after the hullabaloo of the holidays.

Almost every time it rains I am reminded of this verse from Hosea:

If you’re following my Scripture Memory Challenge, Hosea is the next book in the series.

If you’ve read the Old Testament, you know that he is among the minor prophets of the 8th century before Christ–a dark time in Israel’s history.  God sent Hosea to warn His people that because of their idolatry, they would face destruction–reaching out in love and compassion to warn them despite their rebellion.

It is hard for us to fathom how deeply God loves us, and despite what the world may say, His desire is far more than religious actions:

“For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6

He has given us moral standards, yes, but they are for our benefit. Doesn’t it make sense that the God who created us would know what is best for us?  This book of the Bible is a vivid reminder that God’s love for us is constant–we are the ones who depart from it.

“Let us strive to know the Lord.  His appearance is as a sure as the dawn.  He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land”.  Hosea 6:3

Rain.

Refreshing, life-giving rain.

Rain that both cleans the air around us and brings nourishment to the land.  To us.

“Sow righteousness and reap faithful love”. How do we “Sow righteousness’?  We plant seeds of truth. Honesty.  Integrity.  Honor.  Morality.  All of which come from knowing God’s Word.  From Obeying it.  Living it.

“Break up your unplowed ground”.  Nothing will grow on top of the hard, crusty soil that hasn’t been plowed.  Nothing will penetrate our stubborn, hard heart until we allow it to be broken–until we dig deep into the trenches and allow God to fill us up.

“It is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and sends righteousness on you like RAIN.”  Don’t you just LOVE that??!   What a beautiful word picture and a vivid reminder that we cannot obtain righteousness on our own–the righteousness we seek only comes from God Himself.  He washes us clean with forgiveness and fills us up with a righteousness that only He can give.

Maybe you have a list of goals for 2016.  Maybe you gave up on setting goals altogether.

Either way, this is one resolution that should be on everyone’s list this year:

~~Vickie